


Compassion

by The_Marauder_Named_Prongs



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-14
Updated: 2013-01-14
Packaged: 2017-11-25 10:41:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,555
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/638044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Marauder_Named_Prongs/pseuds/The_Marauder_Named_Prongs
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Young Sirius hears his mother and father discussing a werewolf attack on a young boy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Compassion

Sirius was sat at the far end of the kitchen table in Grimmauld Place. He was across from his younger brother Regulus and as far from his parents as the table would allow. Kreacher, the family house-elf who shared a mutual hatred with the oldest Black boy, placed a plate of flavorless grits and plain toast in front of the two young Black boys. He stopped to spread jam on Regulus’ bread, but only grumbled at Sirius’ general appearance and personality, as he always did. Sirius picked at his unappetizing food moodily with a silver spoon.

Down at his parents’ end of the table, Orion and Walburga Black were discussing the latest news from the Daily Prophet. It was a daily routine, and Sirius dutifully ignored them, as he always had. Even at the tender age of six, Sirius knew how to behave like a proper Pureblood heir. Speak when spoken to, keep your head down and your clothing neat, and never, ever talk back. Any misstep in this household could result in a lot worse than a grounding.

Kreacher came by his end of the table again, checking on young Regulus in his booster seat, helping him get his food into his mouth. As he rounded the table, he mumbled quite audibly: “Young Master won’t eat his food. Always disrespecting my Mistress, he is.”

Sirius rolled his eyes, picking up some grits on his spoon and flinging the small globule onto the back of Kreacher’s misshapen, spotted head as he walked away. The old house elf didn’t appear to notice, which made the effort entirely unsatisfying for Sirius.

“The Prophet seems to believe Fenrir Greyback’s attacked a young half-blood child over the weekend,” Orion Black said to his wife conversationally, never looking up from the paper.

“A half-blood?” Walburga replied, scoffing. “Good riddance.”

“Oh, the child didn’t die. He’s apparently holding out in St. Mungo’s for the moment,” Orion continued. “They seem to believe it was some sort of revenge plot towards the boy’s father.”

“For marrying a Muggle, no doubt. Greyback’s got his priorities straight, that’s for sure,” Walburga muttered sardonically.

Orion did not respond. Instead, he read a section of the article out loud to his wife: “Department of Magical Creatures official, John Lupin, reportedly threatened Fenrir Greyback for not appearing for a scheduled appointment with the Office. Greyback was summoned under suspicions of purposefully attacking young children, Muggle and magical alike. When Greyback failed to appear, Mr. Lupin reportedly stated that he would personally hunt Greyback down and make him answer for his crimes. For this reason, it is assumed, Fenrir Greyback stationed himself close to the Lupin residence on the night of the full moon, two days past. After transforming, he made his way to the Lupin residence, where young Remus Lupin, age 5, was attacked as he slept in his bed. It is believed that Greyback may have some kind of conscious control over himself in wolf form. Never before has a werewolf been known to act on its non-wolf desires in wolf form. If Greyback can be located and brought in for questioning, this will be further investigated.

“The boy was bitten by Greyback and is now being cared for at St. Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. Healers were unavailable or unwilling to comment on his current condition. John Lupin and his wife could not be reached for comment. Ministry officials are now looking for any information on the whereabouts of this highly dangerous werewolf.”

“Oh, they’ll never get a hold of him,” Walburga declared smugly with a wave of her hand. “He’ll have them all running in circles.”

Orion only nodded in response, flipping through the rest of the paper in silence.

Something in his father’s voice had caught Sirius’ attention as he read the news article out loud. Sirius had listened intently with increasing horror. A boy who was younger than him had been  _attacked by a werewolf_? And he’d been turned into one, too? Nothing in the world, Muggle and magical, scared Sirius more than werewolves. His older cousins, Narcissa and Bellatrix had told him horrendous stories both about werewolf attacks and werewolf transformations. Sirius couldn’t imagine being turned into a werewolf! How did the boy survive it? He certainly wouldn’t live long, Sirius thought with certainty.

Even through his fear, Sirius felt a strange pity and compassion for the damaged boy. He certainly didn’t want to ever meet him. He was much too frightened for that, but he still felt sorry for the boy and wished he could do something to help him. From afar, of course.

That thought sparked Sirius’ interest and curiosity. He pushed back his chair, having eaten none of his breakfast, hopped from his seat and headed for his bedroom. Neither his parents nor Kreacher noticed or cared for his departure.

In his room, he had a small bookshelf full of children’s books. He was certain there was one in there about magical beasts. After sifting through all of his books, he found it. He flipped through it, using the pictures as a guide. When he found the page with the picture of the terrifying wolf, he placed the book down on his bed and read the short passage that accompanied it:

‘Werewolves are one of the most dangerous creatures in the magical world. The full moon turns these animals into their true form, and they do nothing but hunt for prey. They are known to devour forest animals when necessary, but werewolves desire, above all else, the taste of human flesh. A transformed werewolf will not hesitate to pursue and attack any human it senses in the vicinity. Outrunning werewolves is virtually impossible, except by Apparation. There is no cure for this cursed beast, and there is not relief for their pain, shame and estrangement from Wizarding society.”

Sirius shivered as he read the passage, glancing up at the picture quickly before closing the small book with a snap. He couldn’t bear to look at that terrifying wolf for another second.

So, this boy, Remus Lupin would become like this? Sirius couldn’t believe a little boy could become the monster his book described. He felt so sorry for the little boy, wondering if he would be able to survive a transformation – if he even survived the original attack, that is. Sirius’ cousin Bellatrix had once told him transforming into a werewolf was the worst pain imaginable, and Sirius believed her. She had explaind to him how all of their bones snapped and twisted and reformed. She told him how their skin ripped and stitched itself up in different places with fur and claws and huge, horrific teeth sprouting out of it. How could a little boy withstand that? Sirius was sure he couldn’t do it, and his mother and father hurt him with spells all the time.

Over the next few years, Sirius never forgot about the story of the little werewolf boy. He became slightly obsessed, both with the boy he did not know and the subject he wished to better understand. He thought about the little boy often, wondering if he were still alive or in pain. Sirius began tracking the full moons, looking at them as they hung heavily in the sky, and thinking about that boy, Remus Lupin.

In the following years, when his reading skills progressed, he moved to his father’s library to read about werewolves. Something in the story – something about that little boy – had sparked a streak of compassion in Sirius that was not present in any of his immediate family members. He read all he could about those creatures in the hopes that someday he might find that boy and help him.

Sirius was entirely stunned to hear the name Remus Lupin at his Sorting Ceremony when he finally arrived at Hogwarts. He was even more surprised when Remus Lupin got sorted into Gryffindor. He was frightened and excited and nervous all at once. He had dreamt about this boy – literally. Meeting him felt like it would be a monumental experience. And Sirius could now finally put all of his research to good use and help this boy. Still, fear and doubt enshrouded him. Now that he had the opportunity to help, he was worried he would be too frightened to act on it. He was nervous about sharing and sleeping in the same room as a werewolf, and that fear kept him from doing anything for the boy in the first few years that they knew each other. He did, however, keep Remus’ secret – a secret Remus didn’t even know Sirius knew. He never even told his best mate James.

In the first few months at Hogwarts, many things about Remus Lupin surprised Sirius and contradicted much of what he had read about werewolves in the years before he came to school. Sirius learned a great deal more about werewolves in his first few months with Remus than he had in five years of reading books about them at home. The books were wrong and so were his cousins. Werewolves really weren’t bad people, not for the majority of the month, at least. And they weren’t beasts except on the Full Moon. They were people and some of them, like Remus, were kind and caring and… and special. 

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Winter Wolfstar Wank on Tumblr.


End file.
